Decently priced, this fruit-forward pinot noir is loaded with black cherry flavors and a hint of vanilla.

Most of the grapes for this wine came from the Panorama Vineyard in the foothills of the Arroyo Seco AVA in the Salinas Valley. Winemaker Ivan Giotenov aged the wine briefly in French oak to add earthy and dark-toast elements to this soft and flavorful wine. Look for aromas and flavors of cranberry and plum with notes of baking spice and citrus.

A pinot with a seamless texture. Notes of red fruit, mineral and spice. Earthy.

If you have not noticed, the price for good Pinot Noir has been on an upward spiral of late, and, when a couple of difficult vintages follow one after another, the search for good values becomes harder than ever.

A seamless pinot noir with layered flavors of raspberry, cherry, herbs and cracked black pepper. Nice minerality. Lingering finish.

We loved the forward, juicy fruit of the enjoyable pinot noir from Monterey County vineyards. Soft mouthfeel, loads of plum flavors and a dash of cola. It's the first vintage of this estate bottling.

In the valleys of Monterey County, cool coastal fogs moderate summertime temperature to the perfect level to grow fine Pinot Noir. Aromas of red currant, brown spices, earth and cocoa lead to a rich palate of dark cherry and spicy barrel toast that finishes with hints of caramel and vanilla.

Shows ripe, grapey raspberry and cherry jam flavors, with a bite of citrusy acidity. A good Pinot Noir for drinking with roast salmon or a juicy hamburger.

This is a fine pinot noir with a pleasant berry spice nose. Medium-bodied cherry flavors in a nice spice frame and a touch of earthiness. This wine is a nice agreeable package.

This is an everyday Pinot, with some classy features. It's silky and elegant in the mouth, with good acidity...

Here's a nicely fragrant pinot that hits all the high notes: red, raspberry fruit, some floral aspects and good balance.

Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Nicely perfumed with an array of fresh berries. Brisk and juicy with a middle-weighted core of cherry and berry fruits, with a hint of cola, oak and citrus in the background. Soft with silky tannins. A sold daily drinker at a reasonable price.

It's hard to find a pinot noir full of character for a moderate price, but this one has an attractive varietal aroma of tea, cherry, earth, and subtle spices. Needs about an hour of air to open up.

Soft aromas of black cherries, blackberry jam and violets, picking up intensity with swirling. Lightweight flavors of darker Pinot fruits with supple tannins and a velvety mouthfeel.

The Arroyo Seco 2007 is a deeper, earthier wine, rather different in style and not as widely available.

Moderately dark reddish-purple color in the glass. Enticing aromas of dark raspberries and blackberries, black cherries, kirsch, brioche and oak. Discreetly concentrated flavors of chocolate-covered, perfectly ripe cherries, and fresh blackberry jam. The vivid fruit is nicely caressed by fine-grain tannins, the oak is beautifully integrated, and there is impressive aromatic persistence on the fruit-filled finish.

Sweet black cherries and milk chocolate.

A wine with few peers when it comes to out and out value.

Fragrant, fruity Pinot Noir; 2006 Carmel Road Monterey.

The Carmel Road Arroyo Seco 2006 is a keenly balanced bottling of fine fruity precision, and it is joined on our roster of Best Buys.

This is a notably more complex aromatically with a deeper and broader mix of scents that are primarily ripe pinot in character though spice and earth hints add nuance before complementing the rich, round and more concentrated as well as firmer medium-bodied flavors that possess good intensity on the slightly tangy but persistent finish. There is a touch of backend warmth but it's relatively subtle.